Move away without touching the object, keep other people away only if you can do so without going closer, and notify the law-enforcement authority for the jurisdiction where you found it. If it is part of a transport crash or another active emergency, alert emergency responders instead. Do not move, open, test, cover, photograph, or carry the object. Only trained responders with proper equipment should approach it.
Immediate actions: distance first, then a call
Treat an unfamiliar object as potentially hazardous if there is any reason to suspect radioactive material. You do not need to prove what it is before getting help. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) tells members of the public to stay away from a suspected source, device, or suspicious package and immediately notify the law-enforcement authority for the jurisdiction. The NRC also says that only trained responders with proper equipment should approach, retrieve, or examine such an object.
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- Stop where you are and move away. Back off by the route that does not require touching the item or walking closer to inspect it. Do not pick it up, kick it, open it, shake it, or carry it to another location.
- Prevent additional approach without taking a risk. From a safe position, tell nearby people to keep back or use an existing barrier. Do not return to place tape, cones, signs, or a cover around the item.
- Call the appropriate local authority. For a suspected source, device, or suspicious package, contact the law-enforcement authority serving that jurisdiction. If you are looking at a vehicle crash, damaged shipping container, or another active incident involving radioactive material, contact emergency responders immediately.
- Remain available at a safe location. Give responders the location and a description from where you are. Follow their directions about leaving, sheltering, or meeting them. Do not go back to collect photographs or additional details.
There is no universal emergency number for every country or territory. Use the emergency channel and agency that apply where you are, and explain that you have found an object that may contain radioactive material. If you are unsure which agency has jurisdiction, the local emergency-dispatch service can route the report.
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Why you cannot identify it safely yourself
Radiation is not something ordinary senses can rule out. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that radiation cannot be seen, smelled, felt, or tasted. A normal-looking object can therefore require the same caution as a visibly damaged one.
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A radiation trefoil or other warning label may be present, but its absence does not establish safety. Labels can be missing, obscured, damaged, or unrelated to the actual hazard. Conversely, a symbol on an item does not tell an untrained person how close is safe or whether the material is sealed, leaking, or contaminated.
Do not use a phone camera, flashlight, magnet, household meter, or consumer radiation detector as a reason to approach. A reading you do not understand is not a clearance measurement, and a zero reading from an unsuitable device does not prove that the object is harmless. Protective clothing, shielding containers, and cleanup kits are not substitutes for trained responders and proper instruments.
Who to notify depends on the incident
| What you see | Who to notify | Critical instruction |
|---|---|---|
| Loose or abandoned item that could be a sealed radioactive source, device, or suspicious package | Law-enforcement authority for the jurisdiction where it was found | Stay away; do not touch, open, move, or examine it. The NRC places approach and recovery with trained responders. |
| Suspected radiological exposure device (RED) | Law-enforcement officials immediately | Stay as far away as possible. If you think you were exposed, wait for instructions from state radiation-control officials and contact a doctor. |
| Crash, fire, spill, or damaged vehicle/container transporting radioactive material | Emergency responders immediately | Stay as far from the accident site as possible and do not touch any cargo from the transport container. |
| Unknown object with no obvious incident | Local law enforcement or the local emergency-dispatch service | Report the location and description from a safe distance rather than returning to investigate. |
The distinction changes the reporting route, not the basic safety rule: keep your distance and avoid contact. Local law enforcement can involve radiation-control, fire, hazardous-materials, and other specialist teams when appropriate.
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What to tell the dispatcher
Make the report useful without creating a second exposure opportunity. State your exact location using a street address, landmark, intersection, facility name, or the nearest safe access point. Describe the object only as you observed it from a distance: its general size, shape, color, markings, radiation symbol if visible, and whether it is inside a vehicle, package, or damaged container. Mention smoke, fire, leaking liquid, a crash, injured people, or anyone who may have touched it.
Tell the dispatcher where you are now and whether you have already moved away. If you left the area, say which route you used and whether anyone came with you. Do not approach again to improve the description, retrieve identification, or take a photograph. Responders can obtain close-up information with appropriate equipment.
What not to do
- Do not touch or move it. Handling can increase exposure, spread contamination, or damage a source.
- Do not open, dismantle, drill, cut, crush, or burn it. A sealed source or shielding assembly can become a more serious hazard if damaged.
- Do not cover or bury it. Moving soil, fabric, plastic, or other material onto the item can spread contamination and may hinder responders.
- Do not transport it. Never put it in a car, bag, workplace, or household storage area.
- Do not rely on appearance or smell. Radiation and many forms of contamination have no dependable sensory warning.
- Do not invite others to look. Curiosity creates more people who may need exposure assessment.
- Do not improvise shielding or protective equipment. A coat, gloves, container, or vehicle is not a tested response plan.
- Do not assume a familiar object is safe. Industrial gauges, medical or laboratory equipment, and transport packages can look ordinary when separated from their original setting.
If you may have been exposed
Exposure and contamination are different problems. Exposure means radiation reached your body; contamination means radioactive material is on or inside your body or has spread to clothing, people, or surfaces. You cannot determine either condition reliably by how you feel immediately after the event. Tell responders exactly how close you were, how long you remained there, whether you touched the item, and whether dust, liquid, smoke, or damaged packaging was involved.
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Follow officials before taking action
Leave the area or shelter wherever officials direct you. Do not enter a hospital, police station, or public building unless responders tell you to do so; moving through a building can spread contamination if material is on clothing or skin. Call a doctor or emergency medical service when officials say it is safe, and explain that a possible radiation exposure or contamination is involved.
Symptoms that need medical attention
After a radiation emergency, the CDC lists nausea, vomiting, and skin burns among symptoms that may require medical attention. These symptoms have many other causes, so they do not prove radiation exposure. Report them promptly, along with your contact history, to medical personnel following official instructions. Do not wait for symptoms before reporting the object or asking responders for guidance.
Decontamination only when instructed
If radiation-safety or emergency officials advise self-decontamination, CDC general guidance is to remove the outer layer of clothing, wash, and put on clean clothes. Removing the outer layer can remove up to 90% of radioactive material, according to CDC guidance for decontamination after a radiation emergency. That figure applies to possible contamination on clothing; it is not a reason to approach an object and is not a replacement for instructions from responders.
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- Move to the location officials designate before changing clothes, if they have given one.
- Carefully remove the outer layer without shaking it. Place it where officials direct, away from people and living areas.
- Wash exposed skin and hair with soap and water. Do not scrub harshly, break the skin, or use bleach or other caustic chemicals.
- Put on clean clothing and keep the removed items isolated until authorities provide disposal or collection instructions.
These steps address possible contamination on a person. They do not make it safe to return to the object, clean the site, or handle cargo.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Special case: a transportation accident
A crash or damaged container changes the urgency and the reporting path. The CDC instructs the public to report transportation accidents involving radiation to emergency responders immediately, stay as far away from the accident site as possible, and not touch cargo from the transport container. Fire, smoke, leaking material, or injured people add conventional hazards, so keep clear of the entire scene and obey evacuation or shelter instructions.
Do not try to identify a shipping label, recover a package, help unload a vehicle, or move debris. Tell dispatchers that radioactive material may be involved and describe the transport vehicle or container from a safe position.
After you have reported it
Remain away until authorized personnel release the area. Responders may establish a perimeter, interview witnesses, survey people and objects, and decide whether evacuation, sheltering, medical evaluation, or controlled decontamination is needed. Follow one clear chain of instructions rather than advice from bystanders or social media.
If officials ask for your account, be precise about times, distances as best you can estimate, contact with the object, and where you went afterward. Do not guess at a radiation dose or declare yourself contaminated or cleared. Those determinations require professional assessment.
Limits of this guidance
This advice is for members of the public and is based on U.S. federal guidance. The NRC refers to the law-enforcement authority for the relevant jurisdiction; CDC guidance refers to law enforcement or emergency responders depending on the incident. Agencies, emergency numbers, and reporting procedures differ outside the United States. Use the local system where the object is found.
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Official guidance in plain language
The NRC’s FAQ on the National Source Tracking System says: “Citizens should stay away from any hazardous material or device, or suspicious package, and should immediately notify the law enforcement authority for the jurisdiction where the material, device, or package is found.” It adds: “Only trained responders should approach such objects, with proper equipment, to retrieve or examine them.”
For a suspected radiological exposure device, CDC says: “Report a suspected RED to law enforcement officials immediately. Stay as far away from the suspected RED as possible.” For a transport incident, CDC says: “Report any transportation accidents involving radiation to emergency responders immediately. Stay as far away from the site of the accident as possible. Do not touch any cargo from the transport container.”
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